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Modeling Complex Environmental
Data Without a Black Box
This webinar is sponsored by ABET
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Webinar Info
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Webinar Speaker
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Date: Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Time: 12:00 PM Eastern
Registration Fees:
$30 for members
$40 for non-members
This event is FREE for student members.
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Click here to register for your FREE Student
Membership.
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David A. Vaccari, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE, F.ASCE
Professor, Environmental Engineering
Stevens Institute of Technology
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Organization Attendance:
Would multiple employees at your organization like to attend this webinar or you can't register online? Click here for a form to submit to your finance department for payment.
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Webinar Summary
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools promise to show us how things are related when we don't have "laws" to make those predictions. For example, they can show us how a stream ecosystem responds to physical and chemical factors. Or how a business's profits depend on the many measureable factors that can influence it.
The best-known AI method is the artificial neural network (ANN). However, ANNs are known as "black boxes." Users cannot examine how they work, so they do not provide any understanding of the relationship. They are difficult to implement without specialized software. They cannot be communicated in a convenient form, so typically only the modeler can also be the user.
This talk will present an AI approach for data discovery that produces models that are transparent and easy to use. The approach is called multivariate polynomial regression (MPR). MPR models are surprisingly simple equations that are easy to implement in spreadsheets or programs, to make forecasts, to plot, or just to simply be able to write down for others to use and examine. MPR models are comparable to ANNs in their accuracy and ability to capture complex behavior in the data.
The development of MPR models will be illustrated with examples using the free online software known as TaylorFit. This tool makes modeling more accessible to both researchers and practitioners.
About the Presenter
David Vaccari is a professor of environmental engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. He has a masters and doctorate in environmental science and a masters in chemical engineering, all from Rutgers University. Originally focused on wastewater treatment and water pollution, he also specializes in modeling global phosphorus resource flows and in nonlinear statistical modeling in general. The specialization in phosphorus grew from involvement in planning bioregenerative life support for long-term space missions for NASA, from research for a textbook in Environmental Biology published by John Wiley, and from work on phosphorus pollution in streams for the NJDEP TMDL Task Force. The work in data analysis started with modeling of the activated sludge wastewater treatment process, and extended to modeling of pathogens in surface water.
Dr. Vaccari is a licensed professional engineer, a Board-Certified Environmental Engineer, and is listed in the Who's Who in Environmental Engineering and Science. He is the 2022 President-Elect of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.
Webinar Format
This will be an interactive session with "live chat" capability. The session is open to environmental engineering and science professionals across all sectors and career stages. Our objective is to offer special insights on leading edge solutions for graduate and undergraduate students as well as early to mid-career environmental professionals who are considering specialty certification.
AAEES Board Certified Individuals: Attend this event and earn 1.5 PDHs towards your PDH requirements for maintaining your specialty certification.
Thank you to our valued partner, ABET, for sponsoring this webinar and for their continued support of the Academy.
ABET is a nonprofit organization that accredits college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology. Our approach, the standards we set and the quality we guarantee, inspires confidence in those who aim to build a better world — one that is safer, more efficient, more comfortable and more sustainable. www.abet.org.